Walk into a house where a wake is being held and the first thing you notice is that the front door stands open, the curtains are drawn, and the clocks may have been stopped at the hour of death. The body lies not in a distant funeral parlour but in the front room, often for two or three days, while neighbours arrive with sandwiches, whiskey, and stories. The Irish wake is one of the oldest continuous funeral customs in Europe — a gathering built on the idea that the dead should never be left alone, and that grief and laughter belong in the same room. This is Guide № 007 in The Love Ireland Guide series.
In this guide
- What a Wake Actually Is
- How a Traditional Wake Unfolds
- Keening: The Sound of Grief
- Wake Games and the Lighter Side
- The Wake Today
- Myths Worth Retiring
- Frequently Asked Questions
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